The Melting Pot
by mountain mama
Summary: Hazelle Hawthorne is fed up with living in District 2 and decides to move back to District 12. What is life going to be like in D12 now that the rebellion is over? Who else is going to move back and help in the rebuilding?
1. Chapter 1

_ I sense the sun breaking through the threadbare curtains. As I turn over to my side, I think to myself that I need to get up, but then remember that today is Sunday; the one day of the week that I don't need to get up, make breakfast before Rick leaves to go to the mines and the boys leave to go to school. As I start to stir, I feel a heavy leg drape itself across mine and an arm falls across my waist and squeezes tight. I can tell that my sweet husband is almost awake, but like me doesn't want to ruin this blissful time between sleeping and waking._

_ "Good morning, beautiful," he murmurs as he plants a quick kiss on the back of my neck. "Sleep well?"_

_ I roll over to look him straight in eye before giving him a quick kiss on the lips. "I always sleep well when you are next to me," I say and lean into him and kiss him again more passionately on his lips. He kisses me right back and hugs me tight to him. Neither of us wants to be the one who ruins the moment. All of a sudden I hear, "Ma, Ma are you awake? Ma? MA?"_

I startle myself awake and realize it's Gale that is calling my name as he shakes my shoulder. "Gale, geez, do you know what time it is?"

"Yeah, Ma. It's 5:30. Rory and I are getting ready to leave for our camping trip into the mountains. Remember, I told you I was taking him out today. It's way past time that he learns how to survive in the wild."

"Ohhh, that's right." I shake my head to try to get rid of the cobwebs in my brain.

"Ma? Are you okay? Were you having a dream?"

"Huh?"

"You were talking a little in your sleep and you had a really big smile on your face. What were you dreaming about?" he smirks.

"I ….. uh….. I guess I was having a dream about your dad and how we used to try to sleep in on Sunday mornings." I look up at my son who decides to sit on the edge of my bed. "I guess I just miss him."

"I miss him too," he whispers. "I thought you didn't have dreams about him any more."

What do I say to that? Do I tell him that I miss his dad terribly and a day doesn't go by that I don't wish he was here with me? I do miss him and have dreams about him all the time, but I haven't had a dream like that one in years. Why all of a sudden am I missing Rick Hawthorne? I do know why, I just don't want to tell my full-grown son. Damn, television shows! If is wasn't for that documentary on the rebuilding of the districts, I wouldn't have been thinking about District 12 and if I hadn't been thinking about District 12, I wouldn't have been thinking about my dear husband. I can't tell Gale about my thoughts of District 12. The whole idea of our long lost home is a very sore subject with him. So instead, I do what all mothers do when they are in the middle of an awkward discussion with a child, I change the subject.

"Now, what again are you plans for the day?" I say looking over at him with an overly innocent grin on my face knowing full well that he and Rory have been planning this campout for weeks.

"Ma," he begins to say, but stops once he sees that I am laughing.

"Gale, I know this is your camping weekend. You've been planning it for weeks and spent hours last night packing the jeep. By the way, where's Rory?" I ask swallowing a smirk.

"He is outside double checking all the gear. I just came in to say good-bye and try to get out of here before Vick wakes up and all hell breaks loose….. again," he says with a sigh.

Poor Gale. He finally has a job where he gets weekends off and can make plans to do things with his siblings. One of his first priorities know that life has gotten to be somewhat normal is to teach Rory how to survive in the wilderness. Vick, of course, is extremely jealous that he doesn't get to go as well, but Gale figures that teaching one brother at a time is better. I don't agree, but I'm not going to argue with him.

"That's good planning on your part," I say to him. "Well, sweetie, have a good time." He leans over to give me a kiss good-bye and then stands up to leave. His eyes glance over to the nightstand next to the bed and suddenly picks up a piece of paper.

"Hey, Ma. What's this?" he asks as he starts to read the paper.

"Oh crap!" I think to myself. "I didn't want him to see that paper now. What am I going to say?" I continue my innocent look hoping he will put the paper down before he reads it.

"Maaaaaa?" he says again. "What is this?" This time his tone is more forceful. He holds the paper with listing the pros and cons for returning to District 12 up to my face like I don't know what it says, when I know perfectly well what is says.

"Well, Gale, I don't know if you were aware of the documentaries they have been showing on the TV about the rebuilding of the districts. Well anyway, the show last night was on District 12 and….." I pause and let this sink in before I continue.

"So what does that have to do with this list?" he asks accusingly.

"After the show, the kids and I started talking about home, I mean District 12, and we kinda started making a list of reasons why we should return to 12 and why we should stay in 2." I look into his grey eyes and wonder what is going on in his mind. Does he feel we are betraying him? Does he feel like he ready to go back to his home? I know he hasn't said a word about 12 in a long time, but then again, he is a Hawthorne male and they never have been good at expressing their feelings.

All of a sudden he gets up and walks out of the room, but no before he turns to me with a sad look in his eye. "Rory and I need to get going. We want to make it to the trailhead before 7. We have a long hike ahead of us."

"Gale," I say with a hint of sadness in my voice. "Can we please talk about this?"

"Ma, I don't know what to say at the moment. I'm sure you have your reasons and I know that you want to explain them to me, but right now I just need to get out of here. I will see you tomorrow afternoon" And with that he shuts the door to my room. I can hear the front door open and shut and then the sound of the jeep backing up in the driveway. Then with a squeal of tires, the sound of the jeep disappears down the street.

"Well, that went the way I wanted it to, not!" I mutter to myself before lying back down on the fluffy pillows, pulling the warm comforter up to my chin, and closing my eyes trying to go back to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The other 2 kids and I went about our usual weekend routines while waiting for Gale and Rory to return from their camping trip. I made sure to take them to the local park just for Vick; a little bribe for not getting to go camping with his older brothers. Posy is just happy being able to get outside at the park. To her the woods seem so scary.

After a quick dinner of leftovers and getting Posy and Vick bathed, the three of us sat on the comfy sofas in the living room waiting. The kids were watching some show about the animals that live in District 2. One thing I can say about the New Panem, the quality of TV shows is better. Of course, I don't like my kids watching TV all the time.

Suddenly we hear the sound of Gale's jeep pulling into the driveway. Posy and Vick jump up from the sofa and run to the door to greet their brothers.

"Phew, Gale. You and Rory stink!" shouts Posy. "Yuk, you guys need to shower!"

"That's what happens when you go camping, Princess," Gale says to Posy with a smirk on his face.

"Then I never want to go camping. I do not like to smell," says the little girl with her arms folded across her chest and sending a glowering look at her brother.

"Silly girl," says Gale. "Okay, we will go get cleaned up. C'mon, Rory. But after that we need to have a family talk."

At that comment, Gale gives me a pointed look and I know that he has been thinking about the conversation we had before he left.

After both older boys have showered we all gather in the living room. Another nice thing about Gale's job in the military is that he is paid a decent wage and we can afford nicer things. At first when the kids and I moved to District 2 to be with Gale we had tried to live in his tiny apartment. The apartment was bigger than our quarters in District 13, but it still was too small so Gale and I started looking for a house to rent. We found a sweet little house on the outskirts of the city and had moved in. The whole family had had fun buying the furnishings and fixing up the house.

Now as we sit on the sofas in our living room, I am part dreading and part looking forward to the discussion that we are about to have. I clear my throat and begin.

"Well, kids. Saturday morning before Gale left he found the list that we had made with the reasons that we want to go back to District 12. I know that we had put a lot of ideas on the paper, but I thought that each one of us should tell him what was your main reason for wanting to move. Who would like to go first?" I look carefully at each of the younger kids wondering who would be brave enough to go first.

"I hate it here," shouts Rory. "There are too many people, the buildings are too tall. Nobody knows anybody and I'm a nobody."

I look at him almost shocked. I knew he was miserable but didn't know he felt it that deeply. "Ok, thank you for sharing, Rory. Who would like to go next?"

Vick raises his hand. "I agree with Rory. But I'd also like to add that I don't like the schools here. There are so many kids. They are mean to us just cuz we aren't from here. They call us moles cuz we came from 13. I tried to explain that we are from 12, but they say that 12 is all gone and no one is from there."

"Wow," says Gale. "I had no idea that it was that bad for you guys."

"Why would you?" Rory grumbles. "You are hardly ever here. And even when you are, you don't pay attention to us."

"Rory Hawthorne. Apologize to your brother," I say.

"No Ma. That's okay. We had a long talk on our hike this weekend and he made his feelings very well known to me." Gale says as he looks at me.

I can tell by looking in his eyes that he is hurt by all of this. "Honey," I say putting my hand on his arm, "we all love you, but living here is not working out for us."

Standing up suddenly, Gale looks at all of us and shakes his head. "I kinda knew that this might happen. I too feel uncomfortable in 2, but I can't go back to 12. My life and job are here."

"What do you want us to do then?" I question him and look him straight in the eyes. "Gale, you have been the man of house since you were 14. We have relied on you to keep us fed and clothed. You saved us on the night of the bombing. I think we all feel guilty about our dislike of living here. We don't want to abandon you, but…"

Sitting back down, Gale interrupts me, "Ma, I am 21 years old and a Captain in the military. I think I can take care of myself. You all need to do what's best for the majority of the family and if that is going back to live in District 12. Then you should to it." He looks each one of us in the eyes and continues, "look, I'll admit that I will miss you all like hell, but I can survive on my own. You kids deserve to live where you can grow up running around with lots of open spaces and kids your own age. Ma, you deserve to live where you will be happy. And that isn't here."

He finishes his speech and I can see that he means it.

"Ok, kids. It's settled, We are moving back to District 12." I can say that I have very mixed feelings about the whole thing, but I know deep in my heart that I am making the best decision for myself and the younger kids. I need to be back in the hills of 12 with my own kind of people around me. I know it won't be the same as before. I don't know if it will be any better, but it sure as hell couldn't be any worse.


End file.
